A Corpus Stylistic Study of Foregrounded Language Patterns in the Climate Fiction Novel The Overstory

Abstract

This study investigates foregrounded language patterns of Richard Power’s climate fiction novel The Overstory through a corpus stylistic framework, employing Geoffrey Leech’s(2008) method for quantitative analysis and qualitative methodologies of Gibbons & whitely (2018)and Leech & Short (2007). The research focuses on the identification and interpretation of foregrounded linguistic patterns. These foregrounded patterns enhance climate fiction's aesthetic and rhetorical impact and serve as a narrative strategy to engage readers with ecological concerns. By bridging literary stylistics and climate discourse, this study contributes to understanding how cli-fi functions as a vehicle for environmental advocacy and climate communication. The findings suggest that foregrounding climate fiction can awaken awareness and empathy, making it a vital tool for addressing contemporary ecological and environmental challenges.